Method for the treatment or prevention of osteoarthritis

ABSTRACT

The present invention is in the field of medicine and provides means and methods for the treatment, prevention or amelioration of osteoarthritis. More in particular, it provides a peptide for use in the treatment, amelioration or prevention of osteoarthritis, wherein the peptide is between 12 and 28 amino acids in length and comprises an amino acid sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 16 or a variant thereof according to formula 2, wherein the amino acid sequence of said peptide is comprised in SEQ ID NO: 34 or a variant thereof according to formula 1.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/092,671, filed Oct. 10, 2018, which is a national phase entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application PCT/EP2017/057718, filed Mar. 31, 2017, designating the United States of America and published in English as International Patent Publication WO 2017/178251 on Oct. 19, 2017, which claims the benefit under Article 8 of the Patent Cooperation Treaty to European Patent Application Serial No. 16165093.2, filed Apr. 13, 2016, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of medicine and provides means and methods for the treatment, prevention or amelioration of osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone, combined with an overall joint pathology including synovial inflammation and—fibrosis and meniscus pathology. The most common symptoms are joint pain and stiffness. Initially, symptoms may occur only following exercise, but over time may become constant. Other symptoms may include joint swelling, decreased range of motion, and when the back is affected by OA weakness or numbness of the arms and legs may present. The most commonly involved joints are those near the ends of the fingers, at the base of the thumb, neck, lower back, knees, and hips. Joints on one side of the body are often more affected than those on the other. Usually the problems come on over years. It can affect work and normal daily activities. Unlike other types of arthritis, only the joints are typically affected.

Causes include previous joint injury, abnormal joint or limb development abnormal alignment of joints and inherited factors. Risk is greater in those who are overweight, have one leg of a different length, and have jobs that result in high levels of joint stress. Osteoarthritis is believed to be caused by mechanical stress on the joint and low grade inflammatory processes. It develops as cartilage is lost with eventually the underlying bone becoming affected. The subchondral bone is also thought to be crucially involved in the etiology of the disease. As pain may make it difficult to exercise, muscle loss may occur. Diagnosis is typically based on signs and symptoms with medical imaging and other tests occasionally used to either support or rule out other problems. Unlike in rheumatoid arthritis, which is primarily an inflammatory condition, the joints do not typically become hot or red.

Treatment includes exercise, efforts to decrease joint stress, support groups, joint lubrication and (local) pain medications. Efforts to decrease joint stress include resting and the use of a cane. Weight loss may help in those who are overweight. Pain medications may include paracetamol (acetaminophen). If this does not work, orally administered NSAIDs such as naproxen may be used, or locally administered corticosteroids (eg triamcinolonacitonide) may be used, but these medications are associated with greater side effects. Opioids if used are generally only recommended short term due to the risk of addiction. If pain or movement restriction interferes with normal life despite other treatments, joint replacement surgery may help. An artificial joint, however, only lasts a limited amount of time and total joint replacement surgery is associated with severe complications like osteomyelitis. Outcomes for most people with osteoarthritis are good after total joint replacement.

OA is the most common form of arthritis with disease of the knee and hip affecting about 3.8% of people as of 2010. Among those over 60 years old about 10% of males and 18% of females are affected. It is the cause of about 2% of years lived with disability. In Australia about 1.9 million people are affected, and in the United States about 27 million people are affected. Before 45 years of age it is more common in men, while after 45 years of age it is more common in women. It becomes more common in both sexes as people become older.

While OA is a degenerative joint disease that may cause gross cartilage loss and morphological damage to other joint tissues, more subtle biochemical changes occur in the earliest stages of OA development. The water content of healthy cartilage is finely balanced by compressive force driving water out & swelling pressure drawing water in, supported by a distinct osmotic tissue pressure. Collagen fibers exert the compressive force, whereas the Gibbs-Donnan effect & cartilage proteoglycans create osmotic pressure which tends to draw water in.

However, during onset of OA, the collagen matrix becomes more disorganized and there is a decrease in proteoglycan content within cartilage. The breakdown of collagen fibers results in a net increase in water content. This increase occurs because whilst there is an overall loss of proteoglycans (and thus a decreased osmotic pull) it is outweighed by a loss of collagen. Without the protective effects of the proteoglycans, the collagen fibers of the cartilage can become susceptible to degradation and thus exacerbate the degeneration. Inflammation of the synovium (joint cavity lining) and the surrounding joint capsule can also occur, though often mild (compared to what occurs in rheumatoid arthritis).

Changes in the articular cartilage and articular chondrocytes that characterize OA resemble the cellular developmental process driving skeletal development by endochondral ossification. The analogy between endochondral ossification and OA progression has been widely recognized. Many of the cartilage-degrading enzymes that are excreted by hypertrophic chondrocytes in the growth plate are also central in progression and worsening of the OA condition. Also, well-known pathways controlling chondrocyte differentiation in the growth plate (RUNX2, COL10A1, ALP) are found active or deregulated in OA articular chondrocytes as well.

Other structures within the joint can also be affected. The ligaments within the joint become thickened and fibrotic and the menisci can become damaged and wear away. Menisci can be completely absent by the time a person undergoes a joint replacement. New bone outgrowths, called “spurs” or osteophytes, can form on the margins of the joints, possibly in an attempt to improve the congruence of the articular cartilage surfaces in the absence of the menisci. The subchondral bone volume increases and becomes less mineralized (osteoporotic/osteopenic). All these changes can cause problems in functioning and mechanical support for the overlying cartilage layer. The pain in an osteoarthritic joint has been related to thickened synovium and subchondral bone lesions.

Biochemically, OA is characterized by synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM)-degrading enzymes, such as aggrecanases (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with trombospondine motifs (ADAMTSs)) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), resulting in the active breakdown of the cartilage tissue matrix. The analogy between endochondral ossification and OA progression has been recognized and many of the cartilage degrading and mineralization enzymes that are secreted by hypertrophic chondrocytes in the growth plate are also crucially involved in OA.

Notwithstanding the progress made in the understanding of disease mechanisms, established and experimental treatment of OA is mainly symptomatic by alleviating pain and interfering with the cartilage degenerative processes to postpone total joint replacement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a peptide for use in the treatment, amelioration or prevention of osteoarthritis, wherein the peptide is between 12 and 28 amino acids in length and comprises an amino acid sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 16 or a variant thereof according to formula 2, wherein the amino acid sequence of said peptide is comprised in SEQ ID NO: 34 or a variant thereof according to formula 1.

Formula 1: (SEQ ID NO: 47) X1 X2 X3 G Y X4 A X5 Y S E G X6 S X7 X8 X9 L X10  X11 X12 M N A T X13 H A

wherein

X1=A or I or L or M or Y or V or E or H or K or Q or R,

X2=P or Y or M,

X3=E or R or H or K or N or P or Q or S or T or I or L or M or V,

X4=A or E or Q or R or S,

X5=Y or N or D,

X6=E or A or Q,

X7=A or D or E or H or K or S,

X8=F or A or D or E or H or Q or R or S,

X9=P or M,

X10=N or A or D or S or T or E or Q or R or I or V,

X11=S or A or D or E or H or K or N or P or Q or T,

X12=Y or H or D or G or H or N or R or S or T or wherein

X13=N or F or W or Y or H or K or R.

Formula 2: (SEQ ID NO: 48) Y S E G X6 S X7 X8 X9 L X10 X11

wherein

X6=E or A or Q,

X7=A or D or E or H or K or S,

X8=F or A or D or E or H or Q or R or S,

X9=P or M,

X10=N or A or D or S or T or E or Q or R or I or V or wherein

X11=S or A or D or E or H or K or N or P or Q or T.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Osteoarthritic chondrocytes display a typical phenotype that is characterized by decreased expression of chondrogenic genes SOX9, COL2A1, ACAN and BAPX1/NKX3.2 and an increased expression of hypertrophic genes RUNX2, COL10A1, ALP, genes encoding cartilage matrix degrading enzymes MMP13, ADAMTS5 and inflammatory genes COX-2 and IL-6 (FIG. 1). We show herein that a protein called bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP-7, also called OP-1) is capable of rescuing the OA phenotype (FIG. 1). Ours and earlier studies addressing the disease-modifying properties of BMP-7 show that it decreases MMP13 expression in IL-1β-exposed chondrocytes, stimulates proteoglycan synthesis in OA chondrocytes, counteracts inflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-1β) and induces an anabolic response in healthy chondrocytes. Intra-articular administration of BMP-7 protects against OA development and delays progression of OA in rats. A phase-1 clinical trial has been completed in OA patients and reported no serious adverse events after intra-articular injection of BMP-7. In congruency with this, the data reported herein unveil that BMP-7 actively suppresses the (OA) chondrocyte hypertrophic phenotype (FIG. 1).

Despite these promising results, intra-articular use of full-length recombinant human BMP-7 for OA-treatment may be at risk for clinical use. Pre-clinical testing showed that weekly intra-articular BMP-7 injections were necessary to acquire a relevant result. This high frequency of intra-articular injections is not acceptable for clinical use due to risk of septic arthritis and patient discomfort. While a solution to prevent frequent intra-articular injections would encompass the encapsulation of BMP-7 in an intra-articular release system for long-term controlled release, retaining bioactivity of BMP-7 will pose an enormous challenge due to the denaturing conditions that generally apply for the production process of currently existing controlled-release systems. OA synovial fluid, in which BMP-7 is likely to be delivered, is a harsh hydrolytic and proteolytic environment that is expected to cause rapid degradation of the administered BMP-7. Finally, production of GMP-grade BMP-7 is technologically demanding with accompanying high costs.

To safeguard and enable the clinical use of the highly favourable characteristics of BMP-7 activity for OA-treatment, we sought for BMP-7 molecular mimics that are better compatible with the harsh OA synovial fluid environment and can potentially be incorporated in intra-articular molecular release systems for long-term release. For that reason we set out to prepare a set of overlapping 20-mer peptides (table 1) that collectively cover the entire mature BMP-7 polypeptide of 139 amino acids (table 4). The results confirmed earlier findings [20,21] in that none of the peptides mimicked the potential of BMP-7 to rescue the OA phenotype. In more detail: all peptides shown in table 1 were tested for expression of genes ALP, MMP13, ADAMTS5, COL10A, COX-2, BAPX1 NKX3.2 and RUNX2 and found to evoke pro-hypertrophic, pro-mineralizing, pro-katabolic and pro-inflammatory responses. This was not unexpected, since pro-mineralizing/pro-osteogenic peptides have been described from BMP-2 [20] and BMP-7 [21, 31].

TABLE 4 Amino acid sequence of mature BMP-7, Cysteine and Serine residues underlined. Name Amino Acid Sequence SEQ ID NO: Mature BMP-7 STGSKQRSQN RSKTPKNQEA 45 LRMANVAENS SSDQRQA C KK HELYVSFRDL GWQDWIIAPE GYAAYY C EGE  C AFPLNSYMN ATNHAIVQTL VHFINPETVP KP CC APTQLN AISVLYFDDS SNVILKKYRN MVVRA C G C H Mature BMP-7 STGSKQRSQN RSKTPKNQEA 46 with Cysteine LRMANVAENS SSDQRQA S KK replaced by HELYVSFRDL GWQDWIIAPE Serine GYAAYY S EGE  S AFPLNSYMN ATNHAIVQTL VHFINPETVP KP SS APTQLN AISVLYFDDS SNVILKKYRN MVVRA S G S H

Surprisingly, however, when we replaced the cysteine residues in BMP-7 with serine residues, our data unveiled the presence of a highly defined region within BMP-7 that indeed harbors peptides with the sought-after BMP-7-mimicking activity.

Peptides from this region are designated as “region-A peptides” herein further. Consecutive peptides from this region caused significantly decreased expression of OA chondrocyte phenotypic markers COL10A1, ALP, RUNX2, ADAMTS5, IL-6, MMP13 and COX-2, as well as increased expression of chondrogenic markers SOX9, ACAN, BAPX1/NKX3.2 and COL2A1 in OA articular chondrocytes.

In one aspect, the invention therefore relates to a peptide for use in the treatment, amelioration or prevention of osteoarthritis, wherein the peptide comprises an amino acid sequence of at least the 12 consecutive amino acids according to SEQ ID NO: 16. This is deduced from the results shown in table 2.

Table 2 shows the results of expression analysis of several genes in the presence of several peptides for use according to the invention. Further details are provided in the Examples section.

Our experiments also revealed that the peptide has a maximum length of 28 amino acids or thereabout. This is deduced from the experiments shown in tables 2 and 3 wherein it is shown that the peptide is preferably fully contained in the sequence APEGYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMNATNHA (SEQ ID NO: 34). Every peptide that extended beyond this amino acid sequence, either at the NH2 terminal or the COOH terminal end, lost its activity in the assays as employed herein. Table 3 also shows some examples of peptides for use according to the invention.

Of course, this description should not be interpreted so narrow that there is no variation allowed in the peptide. The skilled person is aware of the fact that the conformation of the peptide is conserved even when one or more, such as two, three, four or even five amino acids are changed, in particular when these changes relate to conservative amino acid substitutions. These peptides are known in the art as homologous peptides. Hence the term “homologues” as used herein refers to peptides that retain their activity but differ with respect to their amino acid sequence. Homologues can be 75% identical with the sequences according to SEQ ID NO: 16 or SEQ ID NO: 34, or more, such as 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or 99% identical.

As used herein, the degree of identity between two or more amino acid sequences is equivalent to a function of the number of identical positions shared by the sequences (i.e., % identity=number of identical positions divided by the total number of positions×100), excluding gaps, which need to be introduced for optimal alignment of the two sequences, and overhangs. The comparison of sequences and determination of percent identity between two or more sequences can be accomplished using standard methods known in the art. For example, a freeware conventionally used for this purpose is “Align” tool at NCBI recourse http://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi?PAGE_TYPE=BlastSearch&BLAST_SPEC=blast2seq&LINK_LOC=align2seq

In a preferred embodiment, the alignment of two sequences is to be performed over the full length of the polypeptides.

As used herein, the term “may” encompasses the word “can,” and the term “may be” encompasses the words “is” or “are,” depending on context. Furthermore, presence of the word “may” is intended to explain options for practicing or implementing the disclosure, without limitation.

We concluded that human BMP-7-derived peptides as described herein are able to mimic the favourable characteristics of the full-length human BMP-7 protein on the OA chondrocyte phenotype.

We have therewith determined the location and nature of the OA phenotype-suppressive action of BMP-7, while peptides from other regions in BMP-7 displayed no activity or pro-mineralizing/-hypertrophic actions. The bioactive potency of the candidate peptides was unexpectedly high. Independent of the tested concentration (1000, 100, 10 and 1 nanoMolar (nM) were tested), almost all region-A peptides induced similar fold-change gene expression magnitude differences in the screening, whereas a control peptide (SEQ ID NO: 49) did not.

BMP-7 has unique OA chondrocyte-phenotype suppressive actions (FIG. 1). This action is most pronounced when a BMP-7 concentration is used around 1 nM. BMP-7 concentrations higher than 1 nM (eg 10 nM or 100 nM) have opposite and negative effects on the chondrocyte phenotype and thus unfavorably cause increased levels of hypertrophy, increased mineralisation, increased expression of cartilage breakdown genes and increased expression of inflammatory genes. Without wanting to be bound by theory, we speculate that BMP-7 incorporates a dual activity that is dependent on the concentration of BMP-7.

In contrast with the BMP-7 polypeptide, the 20-mer peptides according to SEQ ID NO: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 efficiently suppressed the OA chondrocyte phenotype, independent of the tested concentration (1000, 100, 10 and 1 nM were tested). With this we have unexpectedly identified the region comprising the favorable OA phenotype-suppressive bioactivity of BMP-7, while peptides from other regions in BMP-7 displayed pro-mineralizing, pro-hypertrophic, pro-katabolic and pro-inflammatory actions.

Next to the 24 hours to which OA chondrocytes were exposed to individual peptides, the OA phenotype-suppressive action of the candidate peptides was highly effective when peptides were supplemented to OA chondrocyte cultures every second until day 10 in culture. Surprisingly, the OA phenotype-suppressive action of the peptides as disclosed herein even lasted up to 8 days in culture after a single initial 48-hours exposure.

The highly potent bioactivity at nanomolar-range concentration is similar to full-length mature BMP-7 and is a therapeutically important determinant, showing that the peptides for use according to the invention are indeed powerful BMP-7 mimics for OA therapeutical use.

In addition to the action of the peptides on OA chondrocytes, the candidate peptides displayed biologically similar actions in an in vitro model for chondrogenic differentiation. Remarkably, eight days of single exposure, and even more pronounced with continuous peptide exposure of differentiating chondroprogenitor cells (ATDC5), solidly decreased the expression of hypertrophy and mineralization markers, while aggrecan expression (healthy chondrocyte marker) and BAPX1/NKX3.2 expression (anti-hypertrophy factor) was even further increased under continuous exposure to the peptides for use according to the invention.

Taken together, the peptides for use according to the invention have unique suppressive actions on the hypertrophic/mineralizing OA chondrocyte phenotype, suppress the expression of cartilage ECM degrading enzymes and lower the inflammatory OA chondrocyte phenotype, while at the same time supporting a pro-chondrogenic action on OA chondrocytes and healthy chondrocytes. In contrast to the full-length mature BMP-7 protein, peptides may advantageously be used in therapy because they are in general less susceptible for conformational and enzymatic inactivation. Peptides can be biochemically fine-tuned to increase their stability and activity; functionalized for carriers; are much smaller and thus suitable for incorporation in application-dedicated release systems for long-term intra-articular release.

Variants of the peptides as described above may be synthesized that are more resistant to degradation in proteolytic degradation in synovial fluid. Also, variants may be prepared that are more conformationally restricted and thus be more bioactive as compared to their original lead sequences. Such is well within reach for a skilled person, and requires only routine techniques now that the region A has been identified as the active region for the anabolic activity of BMP-7.

Such variants may include linear peptides, linear retro inverso peptides, retro-inverso peptides, cyclic peptides, mono-looped peptides, and two-looped peptides. CLIPS technology enables the routine production of such peptides (http://www.pepscan.com/therapeutics/clips-platform). Two-looped peptides may contain two identical peptides as described herein or two different peptides as described herein.

All alpha amino acids but glycine can exist in either of two enantiomers, or chiral variants, called L or D amino acids, which are mirror images of each other. While L-amino acids represent all of the amino acids found in proteins during translation in the ribosome, D-amino acids are very rarely found in eukaryotically translated proteins. Since ribosomes are specific to L-amino acids, D-peptides rarely occur naturally in organisms and are thus not easily digested or degraded.

An L-peptide has three analogue sequences built from L and D amino acids: the D-enantiomer or inverso-peptide with the same sequence, but composed of D-amino acids and a mirror conformation; the retro-peptide, consisting of the same sequence of L amino acids but in reverse order; and the retro-inverso or D-retro-enantiomer peptide, consisting of D-amino acids in the reversed sequence. While the L-peptide and its D-enantiomer are mirror structures of each other, the L-retro-peptide is the mirror image of the D-retro-inverso-peptide. On the other hand, the L-peptide and the D-retro-inverso-peptide share a similar arrangement of side-chains, although their carboxyl and amino groups point in opposing directions. For small peptides that do not depend on a secondary structure for binding, an L-peptide and its D-retro-inverso-peptide is likely to have a similar binding affinity with a target L-protein.

Peptides may be more active when they are looped, such as cyclic peptides. Such peptides may also be more stable and resistant to proteolytic degradation.

Such peptides and polypeptides may be more stable in an environment hostile to polypeptides, such as a hydrolytic or proteolytic environment. In particular for therapeutic purposes, it may be advantageous to use more stable peptides, such as the ones mentioned above. Hence, the invention also relates to the use of peptides selected from the group consisting of linear peptides, linear retro-inverso peptides, retro-inverso peptides, cyclic peptides, mono-looped peptides, and two-looped peptides.

Ways to render a peptide less susceptible to degradation are known in the art, such as the inclusion of one or more non-natural amino acids, such as the D-enantiomer of an L-amino acid and the retro orientation of the peptide backbone in the retro-inverso variant. These peptides are non-natural, hence natural proteases are not able to cleave them.

Means and methods for increasing the bioactivity of the peptides for use according to the invention are also known in the art. Examples of such techniques are cyclization and looping of the peptides, which provides a more constraint conformational context of essential amino acid residues.

Patent application US2006/0058231 discloses BMP-7 variants with improved properties. This document is hereby incorporated by reference. US2006/0058231 discloses that some amino acids of BMP-7 may be substituted with other amino acids without affecting the function of the BMP-7 protein.

Among the improved properties of BMP-7 as a result of the above mentioned amino acid substitutions are: increased expression yield, expression in the absence of a pro-domain, increased solubility, increased stability, increased specific biological activity, altered receptor specificity, altered receptor binding affinity, altered co-receptor specificity, altered co-receptor binding affinity, increased binding to noggin, reduced binding to noggin and decreased immunogenicity,

With respect to the region A amino acids, this means that amino acids at positions 1-3, 6, 8, 13, 15-17, 19-21 and 26 of SEQ ID NO: 34 may be altered or substituted, without affecting the activity of BMP-7. In some instances, these amendments (amino acid substitutions), even improved the activity of BMP-7.

The region corresponding to SEQ ID NO: 34 may therefore also be described as shown in formula 1:

Formula 1: (SEQ ID NO: 47) X1 X2 X3 G Y X4 A X5 Y S E G X6 S X7 X8 X9 L X10 X11 X12 M N A T X13 H A

wherein

X1=A or I or L or M or Y or V or E or H or K or Q or R,

X2=P or Y or M,

X3=E or R or H or K or N or P or Q or S or T or I or L or M or V,

X4=A or E or Q or R or S,

X5=Y or N or D,

X6=E or A or Q,

X7=A or D or E or H or K or S,

X8=F or A or D or E or H or Q or R or S,

X9=P or M,

X10=N or A or D or S or T or E or Q or R or I or V,

X11=S or A or D or E or H or K or N or P or Q or T,

X12=Y or H or D or G or H or N or R or S or T or wherein

X13=N or F or W or Y or H or K or R.

The above peptides according to formula 1 may be regarded as equivalents or variants of the peptide according to SEQ ID NO: 34. In one embodiment of the invention, a variant of SEQ ID NO: 34 comprises 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 amino acid substitution selected from the group consisting of substitutions X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, X8, X9, X10, X11, X12 and X13.

Accordingly, the region corresponding to SEQ ID NO: 16 may therefore also be described as shown in formula 2:

Formula 2: (SEQ ID NO: 48) Y S E G X6 S X7 X8 X9 L X10 X11

wherein

X6=E or A or Q,

X7=A or D or E or H or K or S,

X8=F or A or D or E or H or Q or R or S,

X9=P or M,

X10=N or A or D or S or T or E or Q or R or I or V or wherein

X11=S or A or D or E or H or K or N or P or Q or T.

The above peptides according to formula 2 may be regarded as equivalents or variants of the peptide according to SEQ ID NO: 16. In one embodiment of the invention, a variant of SEQ ID NO: 16 comprises 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 amino acid substitution selected from the group consisting of substitutions X6, X7, X8, X9, X10 and X11.

The amino acids in bold print in formulas 1 and 2 represent the amino acids in the peptides according to SEQ ID NO: 16 and SEQ ID NO: 34 (wild type sequence) that should preferably not be changed or substituted. The preferred amino acids at positions X1-X13 are underlined. These represent the wild type amino acids at the corresponding positions.

TABLE 1 Human BMP-7 spanning consecutive 20-mer peptides with 2 amino acids overlap between peptides and their OA chondrocyte phenotype changing properties. Peptide sequence SEQ ID NO: ALP MMP13 ADAMTS5 COL10A COX-2 BAPX1/NKX3.2 RUNX2 STGSKQRSQNRSKTPKNQEA 37 EALRMANVAENSSSDQRQAC 38 − − − − − − − ACKKHELYVSFRDLGWQDWI 39 − − − − − − − WIIAPEGYAAYYCEGECAFP 40 − − − − − − − FPLNSYMNATNHAIVQTLVH 41 − − − − − − − VHFINPETVPKPCCAPTQLN 42 − − − − − − − LNAISVLYFDDSSNVILKKY 43 − − − − − − − SSNVILKKYRNMVVRACGCH 44 − − − − − − − [−] denotes the absence of a significant effect or a significantly decreased expression of chondrogenic marker BAPX1/NKX3.2 or an increased expression of OA chondrocyte phenotypic markers ALP, MMP13, ADAMTS5, COX2, COL10A and RUNX2 in OA articular chondrocytes, in comparison to untreated OA articular chondrocytes.

TABLE 2 Human BMP-7 derived consecutive 20-mer peptides with cysteine residues substituted to serine and their OA chondrocyte phenotype changing properties. Results are visualized in FIGS. 2-8. SEQ ID BAPX1/ Peptide sequence NO: ALP MMP13 ADAMTS5 COL10A COX-2 NKX3.2 RUNX2 WIIAPEGYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMNATNHAIV  1 WIIAPEGYAAYYSEGESAFP  2 − − − − + − − IIAPEGYAAYYSEGESAFPL  3 − − − − + − − IAPEGYAAYYSEGESAFPLN  4 − − − − + − − APEGYAAYYSEGESAFPLNS  5 + − + + + + + PEGYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSY  6 + − + + + + + EGYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYM  7 + + + + + + + GYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMN  8 + + + + + + + YAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMNA  9 + + + + + + + AAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMNAT 10 + + + + + + + AYYSEGESAFPLNSYMNATN 11 + + + + + + + YYSEGESAFPLNSYMNATNH 12 + + + + + + + YSEGESAFPLNSYMNATNHA 13 + + + + + + + SEGESAFPLNSYMNATNHAI 14 − − − − − − + EGESAFPLNSYMNATNHAIV 15 − − − − − − + YSEGESAFPLNS 16 + + + + + + + [+] denotes a significantly increased expression of chondrogenic marker BAPX1/NKX3.2 or a decreased expression of OA chondrocyte phenotypic markers ALP, MMP13, ADAMTS5, COX2, COL10A and RUNX2 in OA articular chondrocytes, in comparison to untreated OA articular chondrocytes. [−] denotes the absence of a significant effect or a significantly decreased expression of chondrogenic marker BAPX1/NKX3.2 or an increased expression of OA chondrocyte phenotypic markers ALP, MMP13, ADAMTS5, COX2, COL10A and RUNX2 in OA articular chondrocytes, in comparison to untreated OA articular chondrocytes. A peptide was considered as having OA chondrocyte phenotype suppressive activity when at least 6 out of 7 markers were positive (+).

TABLE 3 Human BMP-7 derived consecutive N-terminally and C-terminally truncated peptides with cysteine residues substituted to serine and their OA chondrocyte phenotype changing properties SEQ BAPX1/ Peptide sequence ID NO: ALP MMP13 ADAMTS5 COL10A COX-2 RUNX2 NKX3.2 RUNX2 YSEGESAFPLNS 16 + + + + + + + APEGYAAYYSEGESAFPLNS 17 + − + + + + + PEGYAAYYSEGESAFPLNS 18 + − + + + + + EGYAAYYSEGESAFPLNS 19 + + + + + + + GYAAYYSEGESAFPLNS 20 + + + + + + + YAAYYSEGESAFPLNS 21 + + + + + + + AAYYSEGESAFPLNS 22 + + + + + + + AYYSEGESAFPLNS 23 + + + + + + + YYSEGESAFPLNS 24 + + + + + + + YSEGESAFPLNS 25 + + + + + + + YSEGESAFPLNSY 26 + + + + + + + YSEGESAFPLNSYM 27 + + + + + + + YSEGESAFPLNSYMN 28 + + + + + + + YSEGESAFPLNSYMNA 29 + + + + + + + YSEGESAFPLNSYMNAT 30 + + + + + + + YSEGESAFPLNSYMNATN 31 + + + + + + + YSEGESAFPLNSYMNATNH 32 + + + + + + + YSEGESAFPLNSYMNATNHA 33 + + + + + + + 34 + + + + + + + 35 + + + + + + + EGYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMNATNHA 36 + + + + + + + [+] denotes a significantly increased expression of chondrogenic marker BAPX1/NKX3.2 or a decreased expression of OA chondrocyte phenotypic markers ALP, MMP13, ADAMTS5, COX2, COL10A and RUNX2 in OA articular chondrocytes, in comparison to untreated OA articular chondrocytes. [−] denotes the absence of a significant effect or a significantly decreased expression of chondrogenic marker BAPX1/NKX3.2 or an increased expression of OA chondrocyte phenotypic markers ALP, MMP13, ADAMTS5, COX2, COL10A and RUNX2 in OA articular chondrocytes, in comparison to untreated OA articular chondrocytes. A peptide was considered as having OA chondrocyte phenotype suppressive activity when at least 6 out of 7 markers were positive (+).

LEGEND TO THE FIGURES

FIG. 1: BMP-7 rescues OA-associated chondrocyte phenotype.

Osteoarthritic chondrocytes display a typical phenotype that is characterized by decreased expression of SOX9, COL2A1, ACAN and BAPX1/NKX3.2 and an increased expression of RUNX2, COL10A1, ALP, MMP13, ADAMTS5, COX-2 and IL-6 mRNAs (see left panel). BMP-7 (1 nM) is able to rescue this OA-associated chondrocyte phenotype by normalizing expression of above genes (left panel).

Functional ALP enzyme activity in cell lysates and PGE2 secretion in the culture medium was also normalized upon BMP-7 treatment of OA chondrocytes (right panel).

Expression of indicated mRNAs was determined by RT-qPCR, relatively to control conditions (normalized for 28S rRNA expression). In graphs, error bars represent mean±SEM, statistical differences were calculated as compared to healthy condition. *=p<0.05.

FIGS. 2-8: Actions of BMP-7 derived peptides on primary human OA articular chondrocytes.

The action of 20-mer peptides (10 nM) of SEQ ID NO: 2-15 (peptides with 1 amino acids intervals (19 amino acid overlap)) and SEQ ID NO:49 on the expression of the indicated genes was determined on a validated pool of passage 2 OA human articular chondrocytes (n=18) and compared to full-length recombinant BMP-7 (1 nM). Samples were harvested after 24 hours and analyzed for indicated genes by RT-qPCR (corrected for 28S rRNA expression and relative to control conditions (no peptide exposure)). In the graphs, numbers on the x-axis represent individual peptides according to their SEQ ID NO: error bars represent mean±SEM, statistical differences were calculated (one-way ANOVA with bonferroni correction) to control condition. *=p<0.05 lower than control condition for COL10A1, ALP, RUNX2, COX-2, MMP13 and ADAMTS5 and higher than control condition for BAPX1/NKX3.2. Random peptide is a peptide according to SEQ ID NO: 49 with amino acid sequence SFILKKVLYDRVNDSANIYS.

FIG. 9: Diagram showing relative expression of COL2A1, Col10A1, COX-2 and RUNX2 in isolated chondrocytes from OA patients in the presence of a control peptide, BMP-7 and a peptide according to SEQ ID NO: 16.

FIG. 10: Diagrams showing the relative expression of COL10A1 and MMP13 in cartilage explants from OA patients in the presence of a control peptide, BMP-7 and a peptide according to SEQ ID NO: 16.

EXAMPLES Example 1: OA Chondrocyte Phenotype Suppressive Actions of BMP-7 Peptides in the Presence of OA Synovial Fluid

We analysed candidate peptides from region A for their OA phenotype suppressive actions on primary OA articular chondrocytes in the presence of 20% (v/v) OA synovial fluid (SF). Data were combined from three individual OA chondrocyte isolates (n=3) that were each tested in triplicate. Seeded passage-2 OA chondrocytes were exposed to 100 nM of peptide in the absence or presence of OA synovial fluid and after 24 hours analysed for mRNA expression of genes COL10A1, ALP, RUNX2, COL2A1, ACAN, SOX9, COX-2, IL-6, PGE, MMP13 and ADAMTS5 (corrected for 28S rRNA expression and relative to control conditions (no peptide exposure)).

PGE2 secretion in culture supernatant was analysed by EIA and ALP enzyme activity was determined by an in-house developed colorimetric assay for ALP activity. GAG content was determined by colorimetric alcian blue assay.

Results were scored as + or − wherein + means that the peptide decreased the activity of genes COL10A1, ALP, RUNX2, COX-2, IL-6, PGE, MMP13 and ADAMTS5 or increased the activity of COL2A1, ACAN and SOX9. For ALP activity a + means a decreased activity and for GAG activity, a + means an increased activity,

Example 2: Hypertrophy Suppressive Action of BMP-7 Peptides During Chondrogenic Differentiation of ATDC5 Cells

ATDC5 cells were differentiated using standard protocols for 8 days in the presence or absence of 1 nM peptides from region A. Peptides were added at start of differentiation and at every medium change (multiple) or only at start of differentiation and not during every medium change (single). At day 8 in differentiation, samples were harvested and analysed for genes COL10A1, ALP, RUNX2, ACAN and BapX/Nkx3.2 by RT-qPCR (corrected for b-actin expression and relative to t=0).

Example 3: Evaluation of OA-Suppressive Actions in Ex Vixo Models for OA

Peptides for use according to the invention may also be investigated in ex vivo testing: Full-thickness cartilage biopsies (3 mm punches) from femur condyles from TKA (K&L grade 2-3) may be freshly harvested directly after surgery, randomized per patient and taken into ex vivo culture as described previously. Biopsies from patients may be exposed to selected peptides after twenty-four hours at 0.1, 1, 10 or 100 nM for 7, 14 or 21 days and medium may be changed daily with fresh peptide.

BMP-7 at 1 nM may be used as positive control and vehicle or random peptide may be used as negative control. After exposure, the cartilage biopsies may be processed to address major cartilage quality-determining parameters. DNA content per wet-weight and GAG content may be determined. ALP enzyme activity may also be investigated. PGE2 and GAG secretion in the culture medium may be analyzed. Gene expression may be determined for major OA chondrocyte phenotype marker-genes as described herein.

Local OA-related changes in the biopsies as a result of exposure to the peptides may be analyzed by (immuno)histochemistry (alcian blue- and immunostainings for ALP, COL10A1, RUNX2, COL2A1, SOX9 and COX-2) to further support the notion that the peptides as disclosed herein are suitable for medical use in OA.

Diffusion and localization of the peptides into cartilage biopsies may be addressed in a similar set-up wherein a biotinylated variant of the peptides may be used. After culture these biopsies may be processed for histochemistry. Peptide that is diffused into the cartilage biopsies may be fluorescently visualized by Streptavidin-Alexafluor 488-mediated detection. This approach may also aid in visualizing the phenotypic context and localization of the peptide by MALDI-IMS and help to discriminate it from potential endogenous BMP-7 fragments.

Example 4: In Vivo Testing

Amino acid sequences of region-A are 100% homologous between human and mouse. In order to further establish the in vivo activity of the peptides for use according to the invention, representative peptides may be tested in a well-accepted model for post-traumatic OA, the DMM model. The medial meniscus may be destabilized in 12 weeks old C57BL/6 mice. One week after DMM induction, peptides may be administered intra-articularly by twice-weekly injections as described previously. Dose may be based on intra-articular BMP-7 studies in which weekly injections of 250 ng BMP-7 in a rat knee joint (in 100 μl) showed favorable outcomes. As 10 μl can be injected in an OA mouse joint an equivalent amount of 25 ng peptide in this volume may be injected per knee joint. An amount of 2.5 and 0.25 ng peptide may also be tested in 2 additional groups to determine the pharmacological potency of the peptide. Saline injections may be used as controls. The sample size of this experiment is advantageously 8 mice per group. Animals may be sacrificed at consecutive time points after start of peptide treatment (2, 4, 8 weeks). Knee joints may be processed for (immuno)histochemical analyses and OARSI scoring (Safranin-O; modified Pritzker).

Example 5: Treatment of Isolated Chondrocytes from OA Patients

Isolated chondrocytes from OA patients (n=6) were treated with BMP-7 (1 nM) or the 12-mer peptide according to SEQ ID NO: 16 (1 nM) for 24 h. Pro-chondrogenic (FIG. 9A) and hypertrophic (FIGS. 9B, 9C and 9D) gene expression was determined via qRT-PCR and normalized for 28S rRNA levels. These results confirmed our previous findings that BMP-7 or the 12 mer induced an upregulation of pro-chondrogenic genes, such as Col2a1 (A), and a downregulation of pro-hypertrophic genes, such as COL10A1, COX-2 and RUNX2 (B, C, D). These results show the BMP-7 mimicking bioactivity of the core sequence from the region-A peptide.

Example 6: Treatment of Cartilage Explants

4 mm2 cartilage explants were taken from non-lesion areas of OA patient's knee articular cartilage (n=5) and randomly assigned to different experimental treatment conditions (4 explants per treatment group). After a 24 h equilibration period the explants were treated with BMP-7 (1 nM) or the 12-mer peptide according to SEQ ID NO: 16 (10 nM) for 24 h. Hypertrophic gene expression was determined via qRT-PCR and normalized for 28S rRNA levels. After treatment with BMP-7 or the 12 mer we observed a downregulation of pro-hypertrophic genes, such as Col10a1 (FIG. 10A) and MMP13 (FIG. 10B). These results are in line with the effects described above and show the BMP-7 mimicking bioactivity of the peptides according to the invention.

Example 7: Staining of Cartilage Explants

Cartilage explants obtained from 2 patients were cultured for 14 days in the presence of BMP-7 (1 nM) or BMP-7 mimicking peptide GYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMN (SEQ ID NO: 8) at 10 nM. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGS), an important component of the extracellular matrix (ECM), were stained with Safranin-O (in red) and other tissues are counterstained with Fast green (in green/blue).

Both patients showed an increased Safranin-O intensity in BMP7 and peptide GYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMN (SEQ ID NO: 8) treated explants compared to control.

These results are in line with the effects described above and show the BMP-7 mimicking bioactivity of the peptides according to the invention.

Example 8: Treatment of Cartilage Explants

Cartilage explants of 3 mm² were taken from OA patient's knee cartilage (n=6) and treated with BMP-7 (1 nM), with peptide GYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMN (SEQ ID NO: 8) at 10 nM or a scrambled irrelevant control peptide (10 nM) for 14 days. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels, a pro-hypertrophic factor, were determined via an ELISA.

Synovial tissue samples from OA patients (n=6) were treated with BMP-7 (1 nM), with peptide GYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMN (SEQ ID NO: 8) at 10 nM or a scrambled irrelevant control peptide (10 nM) for 24 h. PGE2 levels were determined via an ELISA.

Hoffa's fat pad tissue samples from OA patients (n=6) were treated with BMP-7 (1 nM) with peptide GYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMN (SEQ ID NO: 8) at 10 nM or a scrambled irrelevant control peptide (10 nM) for 24 h. PGE2 levels were determined via an ELISA.

Meniscus tissue samples from OA patients (n=6) were treated with BMP-7 (1 nM) with peptide GYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMN (SEQ ID NO: 8) at 10 nM or a scrambled irrelevant control peptide (10 nM) for 24 h. PGE2 levels were determined via an ELISA.

The results unequivocally showed reduce PGE2 levels in the cartilage and the surrounding tissues after BMP-7 or peptide GYAAYYSEGESAFPLNSYMN (SEQ ID NO: 8) treatment. Treatment with the scrambled peptide did not result in a reduction of PGE2 levels.

These results are in line with the effects described above and show the BMP-7 mimicking bioactivity of the peptides according to the invention.

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1. A method of treating a subject at risk of developing osteoarthritis, the method comprising: administering to the subject a peptide; wherein the peptide is between 12 and 28 amino acids in length and comprises the full length of the amino acid sequence according to SEQ ID NO: 16 or comprises the full length of a variant of SEQ ID NO: 16 according to formula 2, wherein the amino acid sequence of the peptide is comprised in SEQ ID NO: 34 or a variant thereof according to formula 1, wherein formula 1 is: (SEQ ID NO: 47) X1 X2 X3 G Y X4 A X5 Y S E G X6 S X7 X8 X9 L X10 X11 X12 M N A T X13 H A

wherein X1=A or I or L or M or Y or V or E or H or K or Q or R, X2=P or Y or M, X3=E or R or H or K or N or P or Q or S or T or I or L or M or V, X4=A or E or Q or R or S, X5=Y or N or D, X6=E or A or Q, X7=A or D or E or H or K or S, X8=F or A or D or E or H or Q or R or S, X9=P or M, X10=N or A or D or S or T or E or Q or R or I or V, X11=S or A or D or E or H or K or N or P or Q or T, X12=Y or H or D or G or H or N or R or S or T or wherein X13=N or F or W or Y or H or K or R; and wherein Formula 2 is: Y S E G X6 S X7 X8 X9 L X10 X11  (SEQ ID NO: 48) wherein X6=E or A or Q, X7=A or D or E or H or K or S, X8=F or A or D or E or H or Q or R or S, X9=P or M, X10=N or A or D or S or T or E or Q or R or I or V or wherein X11=S or A or D or E or H or K or N or P or Q or T.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the variant of SEQ ID NO: 34 comprises 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 amino acid substitution(s) selected from the group consisting of substitutions X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, X8, X9, X10, X11, X12 and X13.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein wherein the variant of SEQ ID NO: 16 comprises 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 amino acid substitution(s) selected from the group consisting of substitutions X6, X7, X8, X9, X10 and X11.
 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the peptide comprises the amino acid sequence according to SEQ ID NO:
 16. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the amino acid sequence of the peptide is fully comprised in SEQ ID NO:
 34. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the peptide is selected from the group consisting of linear peptides, linear retro-inverso peptides, retro-inverso peptides, cyclic peptides, mono-looped peptides, and two-looped peptides.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the subject suffers from at least one of synovial inflammation, synovial fibrosis, previous joint injury, abnormal joint or limb development, abnormal alignment of joints, one leg of a different length, high levels of joint stress, and cartilage loss. 